DEL MAR LOOKING INTO BUILDING NEW CITY HALL

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The Del Mar City Council is exploring the idea of building a new City Hall to replace its outdated, 57-year-old facility at 1050 Camino Del Mar.

On Tuesday, the council heard a staff report analyzing the three city-owned parcels where the new City Hall could be built. They include the current City Hall site, as well as 2240 Jimmy Durante Blvd., the city’s public works yard, and 225 Ninth St., which has a school and some recreational fields. The report determined that the current location is the best.

“If we were to build a City Hall on public land, that would be our recommendation,” said Kathleen Garcia, the city’s planning and community development director.

Although council members agreed that the Camino Del Mar location is the best of the three, Mayor Terry Sinnott said he would like the city to look at other locations not owned by the city. The council also agreed that the city needs to gather public input on any proposal.

According to the report, each of the three city-owned parcels has its benefits and disadvantages.

For example, the Camino Del Mar location is centrally located and easily accessible. But at 1.5 acres, it is the smallest of the three options and would not accommodate other city facilities, such as a public works yard or a fire station.

The public works site on Jimmy Durante Boulevard is much larger, at 8.6 acres, but part of the land is within the San Dieguito River and its floodway. City Hall facilities would have to be elevated and could be susceptible to flooding.

The property on Ninth Street is 5.3 acres, with about a third of the land leased to The Winston School. The remainder of the property is used for recreation. However, under a resolution adopted in 2007, the city is prohibited from using it to build a City Hall.